Bell 206L-3 N99TV

Summary

On 19 October 1988 at about 20:24 local time, a Bell 206L-3 registered N99TV, operated by Kusa TV, was involved in an accident near Deckers, Colorado, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

19 October 1988 at 20:24

Classification

Accident

Location

Deckers, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

38.9901, -105.0491

Aircraft

Bell 206L-3

Registration

N99TV

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Kusa TV

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Executive/Corporate

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Salida → Englewood

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

Unk

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN89FA019

2 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

WHILE ON A CORPORATE FLT THRU A CANYON IN MARGINAL WX CONDS, THE HELICOPTER COLLIDED WITH THE STATIC PORTION OF A POWER TRANSMISSION LINE & CRASHED. THE ACDNT OCCURRED WHERE A 2,554 FT SPAN OF THE POWER LINE CROSSED THE SOUTH PLATTE RIVER. THE POWER LINE (WITH LESS THAN 150 FT MEAN HEIGHT ABOVE THE TERRAIN) WAS NOT MARKED, NOR WAS IT REQUIRED TO BE MARKED, ALTHOUGH SPHERICAL MARKERS HAD ALREADY BEEN SCHEDULED FOR INSTLN ON THIS SPAN. ACCORDING TO LOCAL MEDIA PLTS, THE PLT OF N99TV WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA & WAS AWARE OF THE POWER LINE. THE NEAREST WITNESS (ABT 1-1/2 MI FROM THE CRASH SITE) SAW THE HELICOPTER PASS OVERHEAD BEFORE IT CRASHED. ACCORDING TO THIS WITNESS, THERE WAS REDUCED VISIBILITY IN THE AREA WITH LIGHT RAIN. HIKERS IN THE AREA RPRTD RAIN, HAIL, HIGH WINDS & REDUCED VISIBILITY WITH MTN TOPS OBSCURED.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.